What Happened to Baby Cameron?
by: E Walk
(© 2009 by the Author)
 

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 21

Taking Care of Business

When Hank I went up to check on the young guys, the only persons who were in our room watching televisions were Chad, Damon and Gaylon.  When Hank and I entered the bedroom, Damon asked, “Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Michaels, what’s going to happen to us?  We aren’t going to have to go back to live with that monster are we?”
 

Hank took a deep breath, “Damon, we’re going to do everything in our power to make it so you don’t have to go live with Mr. Martin again.  Mr. Michaels and I need to discuss what should happen.  Today was the first time I met Mr. Martin and I know that I totally despise what he did to you guys and your mother.  If I had my way, the man would rot in jail.”

Chad spoke, “Mr. Rodgers, won’t this be the first place that he comes to find us when and if he gets out of jail.  I’m concerned about when my three brothers go back to school tomorrow.  If they go back to their same schools, he’ll be able to find them and take them captive again.  I’m big enough that I won’t allow myself to be taken captive again.  I do have some friends who can help me.”

I nodded, “Chad, let Mr. Rodgers and me talk about the situation.  I agree that it would not be wise for your brothers to go to the schools they were previously attending.  But I don’t think it would be advisable for them to attend the same school as our sons will be attending.  That would make it too easy for Mr. Martin to find them. Please give us an opportunity to discuss the problem.  There has been a lot happening and we need to process the information and decide on the best course of action.”

Hank asked, “Guys, does your mother have a driver’s license?”

Gaylon answered, “Yes, but the prick took the keys to her car after he found out that Chad wasn’t in the reprogramming center.  He blamed her for Chad’s absence and started to beat her up and kept calling her a whore.”

That was more than Hank could take, “Guys, you need to get some sleep.  Morning is going to be arriving sooner than you think.  We’ll try to determine what is best for you and your Mother.”

The three boys departed and Hank was sitting on the swivel recliner with his hands around his right knee moving back and forth when there was a knock on the door.  Hank looked up, “That doesn’t sound like one of the boys.”

I opened the door and Ellie was standing there, “Cowboys, can we talk?”

I was surprised to see Ellie, “Of course, Grandma Ellie.  Is there a problem.”

Ellie plopped down on the sofa, “It’s Mrs. Martin.  She has bruise marks all over her body.  She’s terrified that her husband is going to come and take her and the boys back to his farm.  We need to get them out of this house immediately, since the monster knows who you are and is probably going to be coming looking for them.”

“Why don’t you take them to live in the house on the hill and she could be the housekeeper and cook for Wayne and whoever else is living there with her and the boys?  That way the boys could go to new schools, and perhaps stay out of his clutches.”

Hank asked, “Ellie, how do you think Wayne would feel about an arrangement like that?”

Ellie giggled, “He would finally have the sons that he and Justin always wanted.  He’d probably spoil them rotten.  Think about it, guys, this could be a win-win situation for everyone.”

Hank went and sat down beside Ellie, “For an old broad you sure do a lot of thinking.  What would Mrs. Martin expect from such an arrangement?”

“Hank, that’s what’s so perfect about the situation, Mrs. Martin has decided that she is never going to let another man touch her body in a sexual way.  Unfortunately, she has never experienced what love could be like.  It seems her husband viewed her as his sex tool and made her do things that no woman should have to endure.”

Hank stood, “Ellie, what exactly are you saying?”

“Cowboy, the man couldn’t decide if he wanted Mrs. Martin to be a man or a woman.”

Hank looked at Ellie, “Give me and Steve a chance to talk about the situation.  I can promise you that I’ll do everything in our power to keep the maniac away from Mrs. Martin and her four sons.”

When Hank and I were finally alone, Hank announced, “I’m going with the guys to the Martin farm in the morning.  You can take the five boys to the Academy and get them settled.  We need to meet back here and decide what to do next.  Hopefully someone can take Tim, Denise and Tad to the airport tomorrow.  I think it is going to take both of us to get this mess squared away.”

I was awakened in the morning by Hank, “I’m going with the guys to the Martin farm.  You may have already taken the five young guys to the Academy before I get back.  I’m going to go get a court order restraining Mr. Martin from talking to his wife and four sons.  Ellie was right, we should move them to the house on the hill and enroll the two youngest boys into new a school.  I’ll talk to you later; have your cell phone spring-loaded!”

The ride to the Wentworth Academy was anything but dull.  Cam was trying to convince the other four boys that they were really going to like going to school at the Academy.   It took me nearly a hour to get the guys situated.  I was just getting into the van when the phone rang.  “This is Steve Michaels.”

“Steve, I’m on my way to get a restraining order to keep Mr.
Martin away from his family.  The sheriff just called and Martin is about to get out of jail on bail.  As soon as you get to the ranch, take  Mrs. Martin, Chad and his three brothers to the house on the hill.  Have Mrs. Martin take the BMW that you bought from Grandpa Tibideaux.  Chad can take his car.  We sure don’t need any more vehicles at the ranch.  I’ll meet you at the house on the hill and we can decide how to proceed.”

When I arrived at the ranch, Tim, Denise and Tad were loading their things in Ramsey’s vehicle.  That solved one problem.  Rod and his people were already working on ramps and the bathrooms.  I looked at him, “Rod, you sure don’t waste any time, do you?”

Rod Lucas laughed, “You know how it is; you gotta strike while the iron’s hot especially if there’s money involved.  We should be finished here at the ranch by Friday and will have a good start on the house on the hill.  Hank called this morning and said that this house was to definitely take priority.”

I said goodbye to Tim, Denise and Tad and watched as they departed for the airport.  Ellie announced, “Steve, Cowboy wants me to take Mrs. Martin to a doctor as soon as we get the Martins settled in the house on the hill.  We have an appointment with Doctor Grace Love at two o’clock.”

We loaded the Martins things into the three vehicles.  Mrs. Martin was a little upset when she found that she was going to be driving the BMW, “Mr. Michaels, I can’t accept the car.”

“We’ll consider it a loaner until we can get everything sorted out.  You are going to need transportation to get around.  You might as well use it, because it will just sit around here and rust.  We already have more vehicles than we need.  Ellie, why don’t you drive it for Mrs. Martin until she feels comfortable driving it.  Damon, you ride with Chad.  Gaylon and Terry, why don’t you keep me company.”

When we arrived at the house, Kevin was waiting for us. “Good morning, Dad and the rest of you.  I have been instructed to make sure that you are comfortably settled and have all the amenities that you need.”

Chad laughed, “We ain’t had many of the amen things lately.  You’ll need to explain what you mean.”

Kevin grinned, “For starters, I need to show you where you will be residing.  Then you need to make you beds, since I have laundered the bedclothes so you don’t catch anyone else’s cooties.  Now, if you four young men will follow me, I’ll escort you to your bedrooms.”

Damon giggled, “Mr. Michaels, does your son always talk as if he’s a mad scientist?”

Kevin ignored Damon, “Grandma Ellie, Mrs. Martin will be residing in  your bedroom, since it has it’s own private bathroom.”

I frowned, “Kevin, where are you putting the four guys?”

“I thought Chad and Damon could share Jacob’s and my room and that Gaylon and Terry could share Tim and Tad’s room.”

Chad looked concerned, “But where are the four of you going to sleep?”

Kevin nodded, “We have bedrooms at the ranch.  Tim, Jacob, Chris and I are going to be married in June and we’ll probably be coming home for short visits.  Chris is looking to buy a house shortly, so that means that Wayne will be able to make the two guest rooms into a suite.”

Mrs. Martin looked confused, “Mr. Michaels, there is no way that the boys and I can afford to live here.”

I shrugged my shoulders, “Linda, Hank must have a plan in mind.  He doesn’t usually do things without a plan.  Let’s get everyone settled and find something for lunch.  Hank should be here soon.”

While everyone was upstairs, Hank arrived, “That man is a raving maniac.  I‘m glad we were able to get Mrs. Martin and the boys away from the ranch before he was released.  Where is everyone, anyway?”

I grinned, “Concierge Kevin has the four boys making their beds, and Ellie is helping Linda.  We need to think about some lunch.  What are we going to do about getting the boys enrolled in school?”

We heard male voices coming down the stairs.  Chad was complaining, “But, Kevin, we’ve never had a television in our room.  Won’t you need your computer?”

“Nope, we didn’t use it the entire time we were home for vacation.  We both have laptop computers.  It’s rather difficult to carry a personal computer around all over campus.  I’ll show you guys how to make it so only you can get into your account after we find some food.  What would you like for lunch?”

Kevin started handing the guys things out of the refrigerator, “Here, we’ll let everyone fix their own sandwiches.  Chad, here, wash and slice the tomatoes, Damon you wash the lettuce and dry it.  Gaylon, put the butter, mayonnaise and mustard on the table.  Terry, what kind of soup would you like?”

Terry asked, “Do you mean I can decide?  That would never happen at our house. Our father would decide what everyone was eating.  We had to wait till he had as much as he wanted before we could start to eat.”

Chad put his hand over Terry’s mouth, but Terri pulled it away, “Chad, you know that’s true.  If mother didn’t fix what he wanted, he would beat her.  We went to bed hungry many nights because he was such a pig and didn’t leave very much food for the rest of us.”

As we were eating, Hank asked, “Chad and Damon, would you like to continue going to the same high school that you’ve been attending?”

Chad nodded yes, “Yes sir, we’re old enough that we can keep Mr. Martin away from us, and we have some good friends there who will make sure that he doesn’t get to us.  Since I’m not involved in sports right now, I can drive the two of us back and forth to school.  Since Mr. Martin doesn’t know I have a car, he would be expecting us to ride the bus.  I have a question; how am I going to be able to pay to keep gas in the car?”

Hank frowned, “Guys, we’ll make sure that you have enough money to act like normal teenagers.”

Gaylon asked, “Are we still only going to be able to take a peanut butter sandwich to school for lunch?”

Hank took a deep breath, “Guys, believe me.  Mr. Michaels and I are going to do everything in our power to make sure you have a better life.  Give us some time to get everything worked out.  I need to talk to your Mother.  I have some papers she needs to sign, so we can get you back in school.  Finish your lunches and get ready to go to school.  At least we can get you enrolled so you’re ready to start tomorrow.  Steve, you go with Chad and Damon as soon as I have the proper paperwork.  Since Chad will have his car, hopefully he will be able to find his way back here.”

“Mrs. Martin, Ellie and I will take the two younger boys and enroll them in a different school so Mr. Martin doesn’t know where to find them.  We’ll take two cars; that way Ellie and Mrs. Martin can go to Mrs. Martin’s doctor’s appointment.”

Kevin started to fake sob, “How come everyone always makes me do the dirty work?  I’ll call Cyndi and tell her she needs to take care of the mess you guys made.”

Damon asked, “Who is this Cindy person who’s going to come and take care of the mess we made?”

I laughed, “Guys, don’t believe Kevin.  Cyndi will probably come to make sure that her fiancé is doing what he’s supposed to be doing.  Chad and Damon, let’s get ready to motor.”

Hank pointed at me. “After you get Damon and Chad squared away, go check on the other five guys.  Bring them back here after school, and they can have a swim party.”

That sparked Kevin’s interest, “Is it going to be a guy’s only or is it going to be mixed company?”

Hank grinned, “This one will be for males only.  Therefore the no clothes rule will apply.”

Damon asked. “Did I understand you correctly and you said that we were going to have a nude swim party here at this house.  I haven’t seen anything that resembles a pool.  Isn’t it the wrong time of year to be going swimming.”

Kevin snickered, “We go swimming at all times of the year. I guess you will just have to wait to see the fun until you get home from school.   Cam will make sure you have a good time.”

I went with Chad and Damon to the high school and we got them settled.  In fact, the admissions person suggested that they go ahead and attend the classes that they were scheduled for.  I gave a copy of the restraining order, saying that Mr. Martin was not to have contact with the boys, to the school officials, and the principal let me know, “Mr. Michaels, Mr. Martin was here about twenty minutes before you arrived, demanding to know where his sons were.”

“Believe me, sir, it is in the best of interest of Chad and Damon that Mr. Martin does not know that his sons are here.  Please call the authorities if he shows up here again.  The man needs help.”

When I arrived at the Wentworth Academy, Cam was leading the five guys out of the school.  He climbed into the van first, “Hi Dad, you’re a little late aren’t you?  I was worried sick that you had forgotten us.  I don’t suppose you brought a snack?”

I pretended as though I was hyperventilating, “Cameron, what do you mean?  I’m right on time and we’re going to the house on the hill for a snack and some swimming before we go to the ranch.”

Tony asked, “Dad, how can we go swimming?  We didn’t bring our swimsuits with us.”

Cam answered before I could, “Guys, I think it’s going to be a nude swim party.  Dad, there aren’t going to be any girls there, are there?”

“Cam, I don’t know what your Daddy has planned.  Let’s get to the house on the hill and see what happens.”

To be continued...

Editor's Notes:  Well, I for one, hope that Mr. Martin will soon get his just reward, whatever that turns out to be.  He is definitely not fit to be a father or husband to anyone.  I want more chapters!

Darryl AKA The Radio Rancher

Posted: 01/15/10